Hey Neighbour,
Most brands say things like “Join our community” when what they really mean is “follow us, buy from us, and that’s where it ends.” There’s no real two-way relationship, no depth or as my mum likes to say there's not enough meat in the stew ( it’s transactional). They think there building a ' community' but what they are really building is an audience.
I hope you know that this newsletter is different.
When Lloyd wrote this week asking about future events, it reminded me that you're not just reading a list of events, you're shaping what this newsletter becomes. The 'Heads Up' section exists because people like you spoke up about what you actually need. So keep them coming, because this only works when it's shaped by all of us.
Alright, lets get to it.
— Maryam
Plan Your Weekend:
My North London Top 5 Events
Folk Fest at Clitterhouse Farm | 📍Clitterhouse Playing Fields, NW2 | 19 July | Free
There's a working farm tucked away in NW2 that's hosting its first ever folk festival this Saturday. Live music, local food stalls, workshops and storytelling circles from 12-5pm. Tickets have sold out but it's free entry and walk-ins are welcome. It's their first go at this so go on, show them some support.
Amy Winehouse Tribute | 📍Camden Market Hawley Wharf | Sun 20 July | 5–8pm | Free
Jazz vocalist Lucy Randell will be performing live with her band in tribute to the one and only Amy Winehouse. Expect soulful covers of all the classics, right in the heart of Camden (the place Amy called home). Just show up and enjoy the vibes.
Lord Mayor's Hot Air Balloon Regatta | 📍Battersea Park, Primrose Hill, or Parliament Hill | 20 July | Free
Up to 50 hot air balloons are launching from Battersea Park at 5am on Sunday morning, floating across central London for the Lord Mayor's Appeal. It's free to watch - best spots are Battersea Park itself, Primrose Hill, or Parliament Hill. Set your alarm early and bring a coffee. The May date was cancelled due to weather, so fingers crossed for better conditions this time.
Source: Exclusive Balloons
Montserrat Festival UK 2025 | 📍Chestnuts Park, N15 | 19 July | (£)
Montserrat Festival UK is an annual cultural event celebrating Montserrat and Caribbean culture through music, dance, food, and more. The festival is open to everyone who loves Caribbean culture and Montserrat traditions.
Give Angling a Go | 📍Model Boating Pond, Hampstead Heath | 20 July | Free
Ever wondered what fishing is all about? Hampstead and Highgate Angling Society are doing free 40-minute taster sessions from 10am-4pm this Sunday. All equipment provided, no experience needed, and they've got a licensed coach to show you the ropes. Ages 6+ welcome (under 16s need an adult). Email Matt at [email protected] to book, or try your luck on the day - though spaces are limited. Perfect excuse to spend a Sunday by the water.
Don’t gate keep the good stuff.
Got an event coming up or know someone who does?
Send it over here and it might just make the next edition.
🎟️ Heads up
Upcoming events you should consider booking in advance or planning ahead for. In and out of North London. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Jazz Cafe Festival | 📍Burgess Park, NW1 | 3 August | (£)
Jazz Cafe's annual festival is back with multiple stages and decent lineup. Masego headlines this year and it will be his only London show this summer. He's the one with the sax who mixes jazz, hip-hop and R&B. Also performing are Elmiene, Colombian act Balthvs, plus US rappers Westside Gunn and Benny The Butcher doing a separate show in the Plant Room.
Camden Fringe | 📍Multiple venues, Camden | 28 July-24 August | (£)
The 19th Camden Fringe is on with 400+ performances across venues in Camden. Theatre, comedy, music and dance - everything from musical comedy about Rabbie Burns to satirical takes on Elon Musk lost in space. There's a bilingual Romeo and Juliet plus Power Power, a comedy about hospitality and superpowers.
Coldplay: A Film for the Future | 📍Lightroom, N1C | 21 August-8 September | (£)
Coldplay's visual album gets the full 360-degree treatment at Lightroom. 150 artists from 45 countries created visuals for their Moon Music album with no rules or guidelines. It's projected across four walls and the floor so you're properly immersed in it. Plus there's a free photography exhibition by their tour photographer Anna Lee showing 75 images from their record-breaking world tour. The photos spill out into King's Cross on outdoor benches, turning the area into a massive outdoor gallery. Timed with their ten Wembley shows.
Source: lightroom.uk
Meatopia On-Fire London | 📍Tobacco Dock, E1 | 28-31 August | (£)
UK's biggest live-fire cooking festival is back at Tobacco Dock. Top chefs from across the world cook over wood and charcoal, each serving one signature dish. It's been running since 2013 so they know what they're doing - ethically sourced ingredients, sustainably produced fuel, and everything cooked over actual flames. Plus live bands, DJs and plenty of drinks.
Anime & Gaming Con | 📍Hammersmith, W6 | 29-31 August | (£)
What claims to be the UK's largest anime convention takes over four floors in Hammersmith. Expect stalls selling merch, gaming areas, comics and plenty of cosplay. J-rock cover band Nattoheads are performing, plus you can meet voice actors from anime productions.
Play Streets Coming to Barnet
Remember when the whole street came alive during the Queen's Jubilee?
Kids playing football in the road, neighbours actually talking to each other, and that lovely feeling of actually knowing the people who live near you?
Barnet Council is now inviting residents to host one-off Play Streets to celebrate World Car Free Day on 20-21 September. And before you worry - no, you don't need to organise a full street party (just a road closure and some space to play).
What's a Play Street then?
Think of it as temporarily giving your street back to the people who actually live on it. The council closes the road to traffic for a few hours, creating a safe space where kids can play freely and neighbours can actually meet each other without dodging delivery vans.
It's resident-led, which means you make it happen - the council provides some support and guidance along the way.
Source: Barnet.gov.uk
The catch? (There's always a catch...) Applications need to be in by Friday 15 August. That's just under four weeks away, so if you live in Barnet and this sounds like something your street would love, now's the time to start those doorstep conversations.
PS - If any of you end up organising one, I'd love to hear how it goes. If you organised an one-off play streets before i want to hear from you too. Just hit reply.
What’s On This Weekend: 19th - 20th July 2025
Your guide to what’s happening in and out of North London this week. Events marked with (£) require a ticket in advance.
Saturday 19th
🎉 Free Day Out
Camden Art Centre 60th Anniversary | 📍Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road NW3 | 19 July | Free
Camden Art Centre is celebrating 60 years with a day of workshops, family activities, exhibition tours, and special lunch menu. It's been a hub for art and artists since 1965, and they're marking the milestone with drop-in activities all day from 11am-10pm. Most things are free to join, though you need to book for ceramics workshops.
🎶 Festivals & Music
Livestock Music Festival 2025 | 📍Forty Hall Farm, EN2 | 19 July | (£)
This independent local festival has been running for over 14 years and it's back with three stages, street food, and family fun at Forty Hall Farm. The lineup includes Spirit of Springsteen, The Kubricks, and comedian Jay Foreman, plus there's a kids' zone with circus skills and craft activities.
Essence X Pulse Pop Up Party | 📍KC Continental Stores, Caledonian Road, N1 | 19 July | (£)
They're turning a coffee shop into a proper club for one night only. Jody Wisternoff and Webb are headlining, plus full production with lights and sound system. It's first come first serve so get your ticket sorted, and heads up - they'll be filming throughout the night.
😂 Comedy Night
Angel Comedy Saturdays | 📍The Bill Murray, N1 | 19 July | (£)
Angel Comedy Club puts on world-class comedy every night and has been voted London's best venue for four years running. They showcase the best UK talent - lots of their regulars have gone on to Live at the Apollo, Mock The Week, and Netflix specials. It's at The Bill Murray on Queen's Head Street, starts at 9pm, and they promise affordable prices plus quality acts. Good for spotting tomorrow's stars before they break big.
🍴 Food Festival
National Geographic Traveller Food Festival | 📍Business Design Centre | Sat 19th - Sun 20th July | (£)
Food festival with legit chefs doing live demos and masterclasses. From Ottolenghi, José Pizarro and others sharing their secrets. You can learn everything from Indonesian street food to food photography, plus there's loads of tasting sessions. Good for food lovers who want to actually learn something rather than just eat loads of samples.
🪩 Late Nights
Hot Lemon Summer Disco | 📍43 De Beauvoir Rd, N5 | 19 July | (£)
Hot Lemon Collective know how to throw a party. Their Summer Disco starts at 7pm with tattoos and toasties, then moves into cocktails, natural wine and DJs playing Latin-infused house, soul, disco and techno until 1am. There's also a new drop of their upcycled merch.
Sunday 20th
🎉 Free Day Out
Noel Park Festival | 📍Russell Park, N22 | 20 July | Free
The third annual Noel Park Summer Festival is back with live music, food stalls, exhibitions, and a bigger eco-village than last year. It's run by local community groups and features activities for all ages plus community organisation stalls. Russell Park gets taken over for the day from 11am-5pm, and it's completely free. For more info email: [email protected]
Alice Through the Looking Glass | 📍Bruce Castle Park, N17 | 20 July | Free
Quantum Theatre is doing Lewis Carroll's classic with all the comedy and music you'd expect, plus it's been running since 2019 so they know what they're doing. Starts at 4pm and runs until about 6:30pm - perfect timing for a Sunday in the park. Bring a blanket, pack some snacks, and settle in for some wonderfully silly outdoor theatre. Kids need an adult with them, but other than that, just turn up.
Pothole Pottery Party | 📍The Viaduct, N10 | 20 July | Free
Pothole pottery studio is celebrating their first year with a drop-in party from 11am-4pm this Sunday. Free pottery fun for all ages throughout the day - no booking needed, just turn up and get your hands dirty. You can make a pinch pot bowl for £5 that gets fired and glazed over summer, plus there are two free collaborative clay projects and free paper vase making. It's their anniversary so expect demos, workshops and plenty of clay to play with.
Bandstand Concert | 📍Golders Hill Park, NW11 | 20 July | Free
Classical music at the bandstand from 3-5pm this Sunday. Iza Stocka and Olga Rubanova are performing - it's part of the City of London's weekly concert series. Turn up, find a spot on the grass, and enjoy two hours of music.
Source: Health Hands Org
🎵 Live Music
Jota.pê | 📍The Jazz Cafe, NW1 | 20 July | (£)
Brazilian singer-songwriter Jota.pê is bringing his Latin Grammy-winning sound to The Jazz Cafe on Sunday night. He's a heavyweight of modern MPB with influences from Jorge Ben to Caetano Veloso, and his 2024 album hit 2.5 million Spotify plays within a month.
Is It Worth Leaving North London for?
I don’t know, but here’s what caught my eye.
"100 Years of Rioja" Wine and Food Festival | 📍Hackney Bridge | 19-20 July | (£)
If you're into food and wine, this one's worth knowing about. Spain's Rioja region is turning 100, so they're throwing a big party at Hackney Bridge over the weekend. Fifty different wines to try, Jose Pizarro and Omar Allibhoy doing live cooking, masterclasses with Olly Smith, plus street food and music.
50th Soho Village Fête | 📍St Anne's Gardens, Wardour Street | 20 July | Free
Snail racing, spaghetti-eating contests, tug-of-war between police and firemen, plus a waiter's race through the streets. It's the 50th year of Soho's village fête with a twist. French House pop-up bar, 6 hours of live music, dog show and human fruit machine. 12-6pm, free entry but 500 capacity so get there early if it's busy.
Somerset House Summer Series | 📍Somerset House, | 19-20 July | Ticketed
Somerset House's summer series wraps up this weekend with two big shows. Saturday night brings London R&B trio FLO - they're the ones redefining modern R&B with 90s-inspired harmonies and proper star power. Sunday closes the festival with Giggs plus special guests.
LatinoLife in the Park | 📍Walpole Park, Ealing | 20 July | Ticketed
UK's biggest Latin music festival is back. Tromboranga headline plus Hector Lavoe tribute, mariachi bands, and acts from Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Big top becomes Club Viva Arena for non-stop dancing.
Thanks for reading!
Now get out there and create new memories.
— Maryam